Elke Sanz - Stained Glass Artist

About Elke

I create contemporary stained glass from my home in West Mersea, inspired by the landscape, wildlife and changing seasons of the island and the Essex coast. Living close to the Blackwater Estuary, inspiration is everywhere: sailing boats and oyster beds, wading birds, salt marshes and the plants and grasses that grow in my own garden. Rather than reproducing these subjects literally, I simplify them into clean shapes and lines, using colour, texture and negative space to capture something of their character. My work has increasingly developed towards a simple, semi-abstract style. I am interested in how little glass is actually needed to make a subject recognisable — whether it is the curve of a small bird, the silhouette of a seedhead or a boat on the estuary. The colour and texture within the glass then become part of the drawing as light moves through it. I work mainly with the copper-foil method, creating individual botanical pieces, birds and wildlife, coastal compositions and larger arrangements. Many of my pieces are designed to stand in wooden bases or amongst plants rather than being traditional hanging stained glass, allowing the glass to become a small sculptural object.

Stained Glass

Commissions

I welcome a limited number of commissions for original stained-glass pieces inspired by the coast, gardens, wildlife and special places. I particularly enjoy creating botanical arrangements, birds, coastal pieces and designs with a personal connection to Mersea and the surrounding landscape. Each piece is handmade and designed in my own clean, contemporary style rather than as an exact reproduction of a photograph. Colours, scale, display method and the story behind the piece can be discussed as part of the design.